Zebulon man arrested for making threats to kill police officer and detonate bombs in mobile home park

ZEBULON, NC (WTVD) -- A Zebulon man is facing charges for allegedly threatening to detonate bombs in a local mobile home park and kill a police officer.

Dustin Lamont Bettis Jr., 30, is charged with two felony counts of filing a false bomb report and one count of communicating a threat against a police officer.

Zebulon police responded to an initial call of a bomb threat at Westside Mobile Home Park on Sunday. Bettis said he had placed bombs around the area but did not give a specific location.

"Obviously, our alarm was already up, we are acutely aware of situations in other places in the United States where there's been bombs," said Zebulon Police Chief Tim Hayworth. "Although we think this is probably a hoax, we never know whether somebody is trying to be a copycat."

Officers from Zebulon and the Wake County Sheriff's Office checked the area but were unable to locate anyone or anything suspicious.

Police say Bettis then contacted police again on Monday at 10:16 p.m., saying he placed bombs inside the mobile home park and that he was hiding in the woods, planning to kill one of the responding officers.

Officers searched the area again but were unable to locate anyone suspicious.

Bettis was later identified as the person behind the threats.